Repercussions I
by LisaJ
Summary: Sam and Jack's secret romance has unexpected consequences.


Repercussions  
  
General George Hammond stood in the doorway of the briefing room, looking at three members of his flagship SG team. It was obvious that something was very wrong. Instead of the usual bantering, they sat apart from each other in an uneasy silence. Sam Carter was pale, Jack O'Neill looked stricken with guilt and Teal'c, normally impassive, radiated anger and disapproval towards the other two. The fourth member, Dr. Daniel Jackson, who normally would be sitting next to Colonel O'Neill, a large mug of coffee in hand, was currently occupying a bed in the infirmary under the watchful eye of Dr. Janet Fraiser.   
  
The General took his customary seat. "Which of you would like to begin? he queried?   
  
There was no response from others. Colonel O'Neill looked away, unable to meet his superior officer's gaze.   
  
"Just what the hell happened out there? I want some answers, now." General Hammond said.  
  
Teal'c finally answered him. "Daniel Jackson and I were at the camp site, O'Neill and Major Carter were standing guard nearby, when three natives of the planet approached the camp and attacked. I was able to fight them off without sustaining injury. Daniel Jackson was not so fortunate." Teal'c stated.  
  
"Colonel, why didn't either you or Major Carter notice these hostiles approaching?"   
  
O'Neill looked around the room as if for support, "We were a little preoccupied." he said.   
  
"Preoccupied with what?" the General asked, the tone of his voice betraying his increasing irritation.   
  
"I'd really rather not go into that now sir." O'Neill replied.  
  
General Hammond's frustration was now clearly in evidence. " That's not an acceptable answer, I want to know how Dr. Jackson got hurt!" he demanded.  
  
"Sir, Colonel O'Neill and I were discussing personal matters." Major Carter admitted.  
  
"Personal matters! What kind of personal matter could supersede doing your duty?" the General asked, glaring at her.   
  
"General, Colonel O'Neill and I, well, we've been, I mean, lately, things have changed between us" Major Carter sputtered, clearly embarrassed.   
  
The General interrupted her "Do you mean to tell me that while on a mission to a potentially hostile world, instead of staying alert, you were discussing personal matters!" he said, incredulously. "And what exactly do you mean 'things have changed between you and Colonel O'Neill? No, don't answer that, I really don't want to hear about it right now." He stood up, pacing around the room, a thunderous expression on his face.   
  
Teal'c noted with interest that General Hammond, when enraged, turned red. The man appeared to be on the brink of exploding. Apparently Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter's actions were even more serious than he had previously thought.   
  
General Hammond barked "this briefing is over, Colonel O'Neill, I will see you in my office immediately!"  
  
*****  
  
O'Neill entered General Hammond's office. He looked around nervously, unwilling to meet the General's gaze.   
  
"Do I have to tell you how disappointed I am with you, both of you. I expect the people under my command to act like professionals. This is a military base, not a dating service." the General stated angrily.  
  
O'Neill began to speak. "General, I want to say"   
  
"I don't want to hear any excuses Colonel. Those anti-fraternization regulations exist for a very good reason. When you're in the field your first responsibility is to your teammates, all of your teammates, not just the one you happen to be dating!. Your negligence nearly cost Dr. Jackson his life! Do I have to remind you that we are in a serious situation here. Not only do we have enemies ready to attack us at any minute, we are being watched by our own government. There are plenty of people who would just love to see SG1 screw up. The last thing I need is to have my officers running around acting like hormone addled teenagers! For four years I've been letting you get away with behavior that no other commanding officer would tolerate, and I'm beginning to think that was a mistake. Your actions have put this entire command in jeopardy. Did you think I'd turn a blind eye to such unethical, unprofessional behavior? Do you know what the effect on morale would be if I were to allow you to pick and choose which regulations to follow? Or perhaps you thought that you don't have to live by the same rules as the rest of us?" the General said, furiously.  
  
"Sir, I've never been unprofessional" Jack said.  
  
"Don't argue with me Colonel, I'm not in the mood to hear it. Until further notice SG1 is on stand down. Dismissed" General Hammond said.  
  
After leaving General Hammond's office Jack slowly made his way to the Infirmary. He knew that he would have to face Daniel eventually, but it was so hard.   
  
Daniel lay in a hospital bed, his skin nearly as pale as the sheets he was lying on. Teal'c stood by his side while Dr. Fraiser checked the monitors. The large Jaffa noticed O'Neill's presence and moved even closer to Daniel.   
  
"How is he Doc?" Jack asked.  
  
"His vital signs are improving, but the damage to his leg will take weeks to heal" Dr. Fraiser answered. Deciding that the two men needed some privacy to work out their differences, she nodded to Teal'c, and the pair exited.   
  
After they had left Jack started "I'm sorry Daniel. I never meant for anything like this to happen to you. Please forgive me."  
  
"I don't know if I can forgive you, Jack. You nearly got me killed! Do you think that you can just walk in here, say "Oops, Dannyboy, I'm sorry" and have everything to back to normal? Well, it just doesn't work that way! How am I ever supposed to trust you, or for that matter, Sam, ever again? I relied on you Jack, and you failed me, the two of you were so wrapped up in each other you didn't even notice those tribesmen approaching the camp. Why would I want to trust my life to you again?" Daniel said.   
  
"Daniel, please" Jack started to say.  
  
"No, listen to me Jack! This wasn't an isolated incident. Ever since you and Sam got together things have changed for the worse. You don't even bother to ask my advice any more, you've completely shut me and Teal'c out of any decision making. I thought when you and Sam first told us about your relationship that it wouldn't affect anything, that we could go on the way always have. I was wrong, I should have known better. Perhaps you haven't realized what an impact your actions have had on the team, but we have. Both Teal'c and I have noticed the favoritism you've shown Sam and we're both sick of it." Daniel said.  
  
"Teal'c doesn't feel that way." Jack claimed.  
  
"Oh yes he does, and if you hadn't been so engrossed with Sam you would have seen it." Ignoring Jack's stricken look, Daniel continued "I don't know Jack, I just don't know if I can be on the same team with you anymore."   
  
"Daniel, this isn't like you" Jack said, distressed.   
  
"This is like me! I'm sick and tired of being wimpy little Daniel, who forgives and forgets, no matter what happens. I'm fed up with being the guy who takes crap from everyone and never gets mad." Daniel said, disgust evident in his voice.  
  
  
"This is about more than PX1843 isn't it?" O'Neill asked.  
  
"You're damn right it is, this has been going on for months. I've been ignored and insulted long enough. In the last few months alone you've told me to shut up in front of a room full of strangers, knocked the crap out of me, and tried blow me up. I've taken way too much from you Jack, and I've reached my limit. After I get out of here I'm joining SG11's excavation team." Daniel said, angrier than Jack had ever seen him.  
  
Daniel's outburst was starting to attract an audience. Dr. Fraiser returned to Daniel's bedside. "Colonel, I think you should leave now" she said, exuding an aura of disapproval.   
  
O'Neill approached Teal'c in the corridor outside of his quarters. "Teal'c, I need to talk to you."   
  
Teal'c turned to face the Colonel, saying simply "I do not wish your company at present O'Neill."   
  
"Teal'c, I sorry, please. We have to work this out." O'Neill said.   
  
Teal'c gave Jack a unfriendly look and said "In my world women are not allowed to be warriors, now I see the wisdom of this prohibition."   
  
Jack tried again "Teal'c you just don't understand our culture".  
  
"O'Neill, I do not wish to discuss this, I must meditate now" Teal'c then entered his quarters, shutting the door firmly.   
  
Jack decided to approach General Hammond again, perhaps he had cooled down since this morning.   
  
The General did seem calmer, he gazed at Jack with a sorrowful look and said, regretfully "I can't ignore this breech of regulations, Jack, this situation has to be resolved immediately."  
  
"You mean choose between my relationship with Carter or my career" Jack said.  
  
"I don't see any other options. You have enemies Colonel, and you're jeopardizing Major Carter's career as well as your own" the General responded.  
  
"Then I'm going to choose Carter" O'Neill said.   
  
"Colonel are you sure, do you really want to throw your career away like this?" the General asked.  
  
"Yes I'm sure, I've never been more sure of anything in my life" Jack replied.  
  
"If that's how you feel, I'll have to accept your resignation" Hammond said.  
  
"General, I'm truly sorry. I'll leave the base immediately." O'Neill said regretfully.  
  
"I hope you've made the right choice. By the way, Teal'c has asked permission to visit his family on the Land of Light. In view of recent events, I think it's a good idea." General Hammond said.  
  
"How long will he be gone, Sir?" Jack inquired unhappily.  
  
"Frankly, Colonel, I don't know if he's planning to come back. Teal'c informed me that me that he no longer trusts you to be impartial" General Hammond said.   
  
"Permission to leave sir" Jack asked.  
  
"Dismissed."  
  
Jack left General Hammond's office for the second time that day, filled with a profound sense of despair. How had things fallen apart so quickly? It seemed that just a short time ago he had it all, good friends, the respect of his peers, and the promise of a new romance. Now both his career and his friendship with Daniel were in ruins. At least he still had Sam.  
  
General Hammond settled into his chair, depression washing over him. In the space of a few hours he had lost his flagship team and seen a man throw away his entire career. All because two people refused to control their emotions and had acted as if the rules didn't apply to them. However, the General had to admit he also bore some of the responsibility for the current state of affairs. He should have noticed that Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill had developed inappropriate feelings for one another and dealt with the situation immediately. Instead, he had allowed his judgment to be clouded by emotion.  
  
Jack entered the commissary. Spotting Sam sitting alone at a table he smiled and quickly went to join her. Sam looked up at him, the stressful events of the last few hours showing in her face. Jack started to speak, but she interrupted him, saying "Sir, we have to talk."  
  
Jack froze, it was never a good sign to hear "we have to talk".  
  
"I have to say this eventually, it might as well be now" Sam said. "We have to face up to the facts, our actions have had repercussions we never dreamed of. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, lets face it, we were deluding ourselves. How could we have believed that we could become intimate without affecting the team. We've both been so selfish, and the truth is, I sometimes suspect that our whole relationship has been based more on loneliness and lack of opportunity than anything else. I do care for you, but I need some time to myself to sort out my feelings." Sam continued.  
  
Jack sat stunned, unable to speak.  
  
"Please, I've already made up my mind. General Hammond has given me four weeks leave, and I intend to get a way from Colorado for a while." Sam said.   
  
"Where will you go?" Jack asked.  
  
"I thought I'd spend visit Mark, I don't know what I'll do after that. Please don't try to contact me." Sam stood up, sighed and said "before I go I have to see Daniel, I hope he can accept my apology. I'm sorry Colonel, I wish things had worked out better."  
  
Jack was alone in the now empty commissary. //I really blew it// he thought bitterly.  
  
The End. 


End file.
